Online voter registration bill heads to Pa. House

HARRISBURG, Pa.—A bill to allow Pennsylvanians to register online to vote is on its way to the House of Representatives.

Wednesday's vote in the Senate was unanimous on a bill that would bring Pennsylvania into the growing ranks of states that allow the practice.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says 16 states have approved online voter registration and it's a hot topic in more than a dozen other states.

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections, had begun setting up an online voter registration system last year. But it was dropped amid complaints from county officials that they were swamped with the demands of Pennsylvania's new voter identification law.

The Senate also passed bills to require campaign finance reports and lobbyist disclosure reports to be filed electronically.